1. Field of the Invention
This invention, in general, relates to the field of Push to Talk (PTT) and/or Push to Video (PTV) technologies. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for implementing games in a communication network employing PTT/PTV technology and related systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communications service providers offer a variety of value added services to customers. Provision to play games using communication infrastructure, either involving two user-terminals or among multiple user-terminals (known as group gaming) is one such value added service. Group gaming requires the players to be connected either through the Internet or through a communication network. The basic requirement of a gaming infrastructure is one or more user-terminals in communication with a game controller through a communication network.
The use of wireline and wireless communication networks for implementing group games is known in prior art. But, the prior art group gaming implementations do not teach implementing group gaming in Push to Talk (PTV)/Push to Video Technologies in the manner in which the present invention provides for such implementation.
Push To Talk (PTT) service is a two-way form of communications that allows users to initiate communication with one or more users. This communication could be initiated with single user or with group of users. The group can be pre-defined group created by users or service provider or can be created in realtime by the user of the service. PTT service is motivated by “walkie-talkie” service where a user can press a button to talk with single user or to a group of users. Other users can also respond to this message once the initial speech is complete. The communication in PTT is half-duplex, which means, at most one user can talk at a time and all other users hear the speech. This contrasts with voice calls, which are full duplex, where more than one person can talk at same time.
Push to Video (PTV) is similar to PTT, with this service, instead of voice only communication it involves both voice and video.
PTT has been deployed in wireless networks across the world primarily as replacement of walkie-talkie service, which was primarily targeted for group communication across people involved in field jobs or law enforcement agencies. However this service has gained popularity across other sections of societies and people are using PTT for group-based communication with enterprises, as chat service, among young population as group communication media etc. Most of the current deployments of this service is in wireless networks and is based on circuit switched networks. However standards are emerging where PTT and PTV are being standardized by standard bodies and are now based on more economical data networks. OMA (Open Mobile Alliance (www.openmobilealliance.org) is actively involved in standardization of PTT service using SIP (Session Initiation Protocol).
3. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,344 to Holt, et al. discloses a computer network for providing a game environment for the participants wherein the network is a peer-peer (P2P) network implementing a broadcast technique using a m regular, m connected graph for broadcasting the message, employing point- to- point connections between host computers. This enables the various processes (i.e. the participants) in the computers point-to-point connections with the other participants. It is more specifically related to providing a reliable and scalable communication system, in particular for gaming, using Internet as the underlying network and Internet protocols (TCP/IP).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,486, to Luciano, Jr. discloses a gaming system enabling the game state manager implemented in software to read and save enhanced game play states i.e. some state found beyond the base game state using the saved and transferred game state information encrypted in the voucher. This thereby enables the players to be involved in longer-term and related game plays spanning more than one game session and more than one game.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,110 to Crumby et al. discloses a communication device for multiplexing communications between a master game controller on a gaming machine and game service servers. This provides architecture for reducing the complexity and cost of the gaming network environment associated with addition of new gaming services to a gaming machine. The communication multiplexer device uses network communication protocol like TCP/IP for transmission over wired or wireless network interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,884,162 to Raverdy, et al. discloses to an improvement in information management techniques system and method to support electronic gaming. For instance, it discusses a system configured to perform a trading transaction i.e. a transfer procedure for transferring ownership rights of an electronic certificate related to the electronic gaming.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,247 to Gatto, et al. discloses in general to addressing the problems related to secured identification and secured network communication. It discusses an architecture employing the software i.e. associated API or S-ASI . . . and protocols used for ensuring security and authenticity of pay entertainment and gaming systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,882,978 to Ebisawa et al. relates to executing a game program having advertisements therein and, more particularly, to apparatus and method for executing a game program in which advertisements displayed are updated by downloading new advertisement data prior to the execution.
The abovementioned prior arts provide different techniques and method for the gaming system, however none of the prior art uses a PTT/PTV infrastructure for the gaming system which provides for nearly instant—connect, enabling quick burst oriented communication between end users providing greater range, reliability and improved privacy.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 20040224710 relates to introducing services into a Push To Talk (PTT) environment by using PTT infrastructure as message routing infrastructure for service request and service response, wherein one of the PTT client acts as application server to respond to the service requests received from PTT clients. It does not use basic PTT capability of media communication among group members and floor control for media to introduce new services.